Strong winds, heavy rain in Beaufort County. Here’s when stormy conditions will let up
Whipping wind gusts, soaking rain and possible severe thunderstorms will rumble through the Lowcountry as a surface low pressure system moves through the state, according to the National Weather Service on Thursday.
The primary concern is damaging straight-line wind, said Frank Strait, South Carolina’s severe weather liaison. Straight-line winds are thunderstorm winds that have no rotation, the NWS said. They are often mistaken as tornadoes because of the wind speed and damage caused, but their destruction path will look like parallel rows.
“It will turn blustery across the state as the line of storms approaches, and winds will become strong even outside thunderstorms,” Strait said.
A lesser concern is the possibility for tornadoes and if they touchdown, Strait said the twisters would be weak and short-lived.
On Thursday, Beaufort County could get between 3 and 4 inches of rain, according to the NWS. Meteorologist with the service’s Charleston office predicted heavy periods of rainfall would let up around 3 p.m.
At 8:19 a.m., the Beaufort County Sheriff’s office issued an advisory that the on-ramp to eastbound Highway 278 to Highway 170 in Okatie is flooded and will be closed until passage is safe. Motorists are required to to seek and alternative route.
Castle Rock Road at Robert Smalls Parkway in Burton is flooded, causing motorists to need to find another route.
Wind gusts up to 45 mph are expected whip through the Lowcountry, causing downed tree limbs and resulting in power outages. Sustained south winds will reach 15 mph. According to PowerOutage.US, 16 customers were without power as of 8 a.m. Strong winds will make travel difficult, the NWS said, especially on bridges and overpasses.
Beaufort County’s wind advisory is expected to lift at 8 p.m. Thursday. Strait said gusty westerly winds will follow the cold front Thursday night through Friday. The gust will peak at about 35 mph.
“Of course, that’s a major annoyance for motorists and pickleball players, but the wind should not cause damage,” Strait said.
The county is also under a flood advisory, which will lift at 11:45 a.m. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain had fallen before 6 a.m. Thursday, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office alert. Hourly rainfall rates will increase 2 inches per hour until about 9 a.m. In total, the county could get up to 4 inches of rainfall. For low-lying and poor drainage areas, minor flooding is expected.
There is a high risk of rip currents, the NWS said, meaning that life threatening rip currents are likely in the surf zone.
On Saturday, Strait said “it looks like we’ll see tranquility for a while.”
This story was originally published April 11, 2024 at 8:32 AM.
